How to Disable Java to avoid Zero Day Exploit in Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari

Learn how to disable Java in Chrome, Firefox, IE to secure your browsers from Zero Day Exploit in Java Security.

Zero Day Bug in Java Security, allows hackers to exploit the flaw to install any zero day virus, malware or malicious software that can result in computer security breach, identity theft or botnets exploit to hack computer networks to be used for DDOS attacks.

Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) from Department of Homeland Security in United States has issued a warning for all computer users about a serious security vulnerability in Java 7 that is feared to affect millions of computers worldwide.

The Federal Government warning, issued on Thursday said:

The java security flaw can allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on a vulnerable system. The applications that use the Internet Explorer web content rendering components, such as Microsoft Office or Windows Desktop Search, may also be used as an attack vector for this vulnerability.

The Department of Homeland Security didn’t suggest any solution to avoid Zero Day Exploit in Java Security; this security vulnerability was first reported by ZD Net.

Disable Java to avoid Zero Day Attack on Computer

While a security patch is not available by Oracle, which in 2010 acquired Sun Microsystems, the developer of Java. You can check out our tutorial on how to disable Java in Chrome, Firefox, IE browsers to secure yourself from Java Zero Day attack:

Disable Java on Windows Computer for All Browsers

New Java version 7 update 10, released by Oracle features an option for disabling Java in all browsers in the Java Control Panel. Previous Java versions allow users only to manage Java-related certificates. Please follow these steps to disable java on windows computer for all browsers:

1. Download and install new Java version 7 update 10 from here.
2. Go to Startup menu > Control Panel
3. Switch to Classic View (for XP users) or small icons (for Vista or Windows 7 users).
4. Find and Click on Java Icon.
5. Uncheck "Enable Java content in the browser." checkbox
6. Click OK and that it!

How to Disable Java in Chrome Browser

Disabling Java in Chrome browser can be done very simply by following these two simple steps:

1. Open Chrome, enter "chrome://plugins" (without quotes) in the address bar and pressing enter.
2. Find Java in the list installed browser plug-ins.
3. Click "Disable" checkbox and you are done!

How to Disable Java in FireFox Browser

To disable Java plug-in from running in Firefox:

1. Press Alt key to show Firefox menu at the top
2. Click Tools > Add-ons to open the FireFox add-on manager
3. Choose Plugins in the left pane.
4. Scroll to the entry for the Java plug-in and click its Disable button.

How to Disable Java in (IE) Internet Explorer 9

See how to disable Java in Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE):

1. On top-right corner of IE9, click gear icon in the choose "Manage add-ons" from menu.
2. Select Toolbars and Extensions in the left pane under "Add-on Types".
3. Scroll to the Java plug-in under "Sun Microsystems Inc."
4. Choose Java entry and click Disable in the bottom-right corner.

The next time you start IE, a notice will appear at the bottom of the window informing you that the
Java plug-in is ready to use. Click the "Don't enable" button or the x on the right of the pop-up to continue browsing without enabling Java to stay safe.

How to Disable Java in Safari Browser

To dis-enable Java in Safari browser on your computer:

1. Click Safari > Preferences
2. Select the Security tab at the top of the window.
3. Uncheck Enable Java.

Thus basically, both Windows and Apple Mac computer operating systems have control panels that allow the Java to be disabled completely. Additionally most browsers have settings for user to directly disable Java, which can be used to secure any attack through its security Java Security flaw.

Update: Oracle has issued an emergency fix to avoid a Zero Day Attack exploiting its Java Security flaw, which is being anticipated by security experts. However the new Java 7 update 11 codenamed j7u11 is still unable to fix the security hole, instead it just raises the java security level to high by automatically.

Java can still be exploited, after J7u11, by manipulations through trusted application. According to experts, a real fix to Java Security bug may take time as long as two years, due to some architectural level revamps required.